1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a quick release connector that can reduce the cost of production and can be used safely and maintained easily.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional quick release connector is used in pipe connections and comprises a body, a sealing valve and an outer sleeve. The body is hollow and has an external surface, an air inlet chamber, a mounting recess, an air outlet chamber, a returning spring, multiple ball holes, multiple balls, a limiting groove, a sealing ring, a washer, multiple holding pins and a limiting ring. The inlet chamber, the mounting recess and the outlet chamber are continuously formed in the body and communicate with each other. The returning spring is mounted in the air inlet chamber. The ball holes are formed through the external surface of the body at intervals and communicate with the air outlet chamber. The balls are respectively held in the ball holes in the body.
The limiting groove is formed around the external surface of the body near the air outlet chamber. The sealing ring is mounted in the mounting recess. The washer is mounted in the mounting recess and abuts between the sealing ring and the returning spring. The holding pins are securely and transversally mounted in the air outlet chamber to hold the washer and the sealing ring securely in the mounting recess. The limiting ring is mounted in the limiting groove of the body.
The sealing valve is movably mounted in the body and has an external surface abutting against the balls and at least one air inlet communicating with the air inlet chamber of the body. The returning spring is mounted around the sealing valve. The outer sleeve is slidably mounted around the body and has two ends, a spring recess, an abutting recess, a holding recess and a pressing spring. The spring recess is formed in the outer sleeve at one of the ends of the outer sleeve and is mounted around the body. The abutting recess is formed in the outer sleeve at the other end and has a bottom selectively abutting the limiting ring of the body to keep the outer sleeve from escaping from the body. The holding recess is formed in the outer sleeve near the abutting recess and holds the balls inside. The pressing spring is mounted around the body in the spring recess and abuts the external surface of the body to make the balls hold between the holding recess, the ball holes and the external surface of the sealing valve.
In production, the conventional quick release connector needs to use the holding pins to hold the sealing ring and the washer to mount securely in the mounting recess of the body. In addition, the conventional quick release connector needs to form the limiting groove around the external surface of the body and to mount the limiting ring in the limiting groove to prevent the outer sleeve from escaping from the body and to hold the balls between the outer sleeve and the sealing valve. However, the holding pins, the limiting groove and the limiting ring will increase the cost and time of producing and maintaining the conventional quick release connector.
Additionally, the sealing ring and the washer are held in the mounting recess of the body only by the holding pins and the pressured air of an air compressor may leak from the body and cause danger in operation. Furthermore, the balls are held between the outer sleeve and the sealing valve only by the limiting ring, the holding force provided by the limiting ring is restricted and the balls may escape out of the outer sleeve and the sealing valve when the conventional quick release connector falls downward from a high location.
The quick release connector in accordance with the present invention mitigates or obviates the aforementioned problems.